We've been on a strict avoidance of all peanut products since my daughter was diagnosed with an allergy at 18 months. Abigail is now 9 and our family is blessed to be participating in a Clinical Trial at Duke Hospital (now UNC Hospital). Reading every label on every food item I purchase has also given me a strong sense of what it takes to eat healthy. So, here's our journey to eating healthy and becoming peanut allergy free!

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Sunday, September 20, 2009

I thought I'd post some good news for a change. The last couple of posts have been troublesome first with the news of ConAgra and their "proprietary" manufacturing information and second with the telling of how bogged down I was getting over our trips to Duke.

It's time to shout out praise for General Mills. I hate to even mention ConAgra in the same sentence, but like ConAgra, I sent an e-mail to General Mills asking about their allergy labeling policy. Again, trying to find out how they label for products manufactured in the same facility or using the same equipment as products containing peanuts. Here is their response:

Thank you for contacting General Mills concerning ingredients in our products. As manufacturers and consumers, we understand your concern about potential allergens in the foods you eat. Our primary goal is to provide accurate information; and we believe this is best accomplished by referring to the specific ingredients listed on each product package. This is the most current information for your needs.

If one of our products contains any of the top 8 allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, dairy products, eggs, soy, wheat, crustaceans, and fish) or if it contains sesame, sunflower or mollusks, that ingredient is always listed in the ingredient panel, and also in bold letters just below the list of ingredients. If a product is exposed to any of these allergens in the manufacturing facility the allergen will be listed in bold in the ′Contains Statement′ just below the list of ingredients. This list is your ingredient assurance for that package. It is not intended for other packaging of the same product. Ingredients may vary from one package to another due to product reformulation. If you have allergy concerns, please read each package ingredient panel.

This means I'm now a huge fan of General Mills. Not only do they include a few additional allergens over and above the top 8, but if a product is manufactured in a facility with an allergen, the allergen is listed in the "Contains" statement.

We're all familiar with their cereals, Cheerios, Trix, Lucky Charms, Chex, but also Cascadian Farms, Fiber One and Nature Valley. Some of their other brands include Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Bisquick, Fruit Roll-Ups, Progresso, Green Giant, Old El Paso and Haagen-Dazs. Now, if we could get them to drop the high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and partially hydrogenated oils we could enjoy even more of their products.

Our next visit to Duke is this coming Wednesday. Be thinking about us. Abigail has to have blood drawn and another skin prick test performed. And me, I have to be rock solid keeping her brave and distracted through each procedure.

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Disclaimer: The contents of this blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please contact your physician or other qualified healthcare professional for medical advice.